The Amateur
by ZuEra
Summary: Bad Rep, the infamous rock band, has big plans underway. When their guitarist quits in a huff, however, all plans come to a halt. In town for a show, drummer Toph Bei Fong meets a talented fan who might be the answer to the band's prayers - and to the prayers of Toph herself. / Modern AU. Toph/Sokka romance. Rated T for language
1. Chapter 1 - A House Divided

**Hey there! I just wanted to talk about this story a little bit before we begin. First off, this story was inspired by "A Rock n Roll kind of Love", a beautifully drawn Tokka picture by Daughterofthestars on DeviantArt. She graciously gave me permission to write this story, as well as use it as the story cover. Another thing, I don't plan on this story being too terribly long; perhaps ten chapters, maybe a little more. My reasoning for this relates mostly to the fact that I have a long-term fanfic, Of Earth and Sky, up and running already and I really need to stick with that. **

**So "Bad Rep", the band. I would classify them somewhere between hard-rock and post-hardcore. Think...Falling in Reverse, and that sort of thing. It just seemed fitting to me :D That being said, I hope you enjoy _The Amateur._**

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Chapter 1

A House Divided

"One, two, three, go!"

The music blared, it's heavy beat banging against the walls of the studio - and Toph could feel it. Usually this would be the time that her mother would step out into the garage and tell them they needn't be so loud. At that point, they would move on to Jet's house, or Mai's house, or Haru's house (but never did they dare to disrupt Zuko's house). Fortunately for the parents, the next place that the band moved onto was a major recording studio. Miraculously, the band had Mai to thank for their success. Despite her introverted nature, Mai seemed to know everyone and was able to get them a meeting with Imperial City Records. Such bands as Immaculate Contradiction and The Solstice had been signed by Imperial City Records, giving the company a reputation worth respecting. During the meeting, they were to perform one song - just one - and then they would talk business. The group bickered over which song they would use until the moment that they arrived at the large glass doors of the company; whatever they chose would the the only representation of their talent - a poor song choice might have meant the end of the road. Even as they had been shown into the studio, they muttered suggestions and rejections back and forth, coming to a decision just as the representative nodded for them to begin. Fortunately, they hadn't made any mistakes, but given the indecisiveness of their song-choice, the wait for a response was nerve-wracking. To everyone's delight, they were a hit with the representative - even better, he was sure that they would be a hit with the rest of the country. The band, Bad Rep, was signed on the spot, becoming Imperial City's next big success.

Over the next year and a half, the band gained fame through the radio. Shortly after, their debut album was released, and having been proved a success, the band went on their first tour. Since the beginning of the process, it seemed that they were hardly home at all. This was particularly fine with Toph, who could barely stand to be around her parents for more than an hour at a time. Their last day together had ended on a rather sour note, filled with the kind of yelling and bitterness that drove Toph batty. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that Toph had come home that day with her once-raven bangs dyed a bright colored green. "Why is this necessary?" her mother had asked. "You can't even see it." Toph had simply replied that although she couldn't see it, everyone else could; it seemed like a cool idea (she also had casually added that she planned to add some highlights in the back). By the time that the cab got there (her parents had been too busy to drive her to the airport) she couldn't wait to get out. Of course things had settled down since then, but the rebellious girl didn't talk to her parents nearly as much as was healthy. Being alone and independent, Toph could tend to get a bit wild at times. She'd never been one for manners or frills, but now that she was free of restraints, she did as she pleased; none of her friends had a reason to stop her. The greatest thing, in Toph's mind, about escaping her parents was that she could earthbend whenever she wanted - as much as she wanted. For most of her youth, she'd been underestimated and had to practice in secret as her parents thought her too weak to bend well. What they later came to realize was that their precious child was not weak at all - in fact, she possessed talent like they'd never seen. It had been quite alarming to them, and they thought it best that she refrain from anymore "reckless activity". Needless to say, Toph now practiced her bending every day.

As for the others, their lives hadn't been a walk in the park either; Zuko had lost his mother when he was very young, Jet didn't have a family at all, Haru's father (although Haru insisted that he was falsely accused) had been thrown in prison, and Mai couldn't seem to find happiness in anything. Comparing their lives to her own, Toph often felt guilty for her resentment of her parents; things for her really weren't that bad. Fortunately, they all had each other, and although they often bickered, Toph knew that their love was unconditional.

"Could I just sing a tiny snip-it of _one_ song - just one?" Haru pleaded, irritation dripping from the corner of his mouth like blood. He paced the length of the studio, a firm glare on his brow.

"Listen, Haru, we've already assigned the roles - permanently," Jet replied, leaning against the wall as if he was uninterested with the conversation at hand. "Toph: drums. Mai: keys. Zuko: bass. Jet: lead singer. Haru: _guitar_. That's it. You're lucky we're even playing that song; it's way too sentimental compared to our usual style."

Almost violently, Haru turned towards Jet, leaning in his face. "I wrote it! I wrote it and it's important to me. It's about-"

"Your dad, I know," Jet sighed, "and I understand the pain that you feel about that, and I'm sorry. The plan stays as it is, though."

At this, Haru stifled a growl in his chest, turning again to walk about the room. Feeling his body begin to shake, Toph folded her arms; she'd have liked to stand up for him, but she didn't think it worth her time. Jet and Haru butted heads so much that she hadn't the energy or passion to step in anymore, nor did Mai and Zuko. The fights usually simmered down at some point (although judging by Haru's accelerating heartbeat, Toph thought it might take a bit longer this time).

"You know what, Jet?" Haru finally said, looking over his shoulder at the shaggy-haired ego-lord. "I don't think you ,get it. I think that you're trying to manipulate me into giving you your way, and I'm not gonna have it!"

"Oh, ha - ha," Jet laughed forcefully, fury snaking its way into his voice despite his efforts to conceal it. "Manipulate you? That's what you think? Are you trying to judge me on my past, Haru? Cuz real friends _don't do that_!"

Zuko flinched at the raise in Jet's voice, but Mai, Toph noted, didn't react at all, with even her heartbeat indifferent to the shock. She accepted Zuko's hand when he held it out to her, though. In Toph's mind, they were the oddest couple ever, but clearly they had some sort of connection that nobody else in the world seemed to understand. "To each his own", Toph always thought. Contrary to Mai, who was quiet in her anger, Jet and Haru preferred to yell it all out - which Toph found both entertaining and irritating to no end.

"We're not talking about your past, Jet," Haru insisted scornfully. "We're talking about the present - who you are, inside and out - who you've always been. Pathetic, egotistical, selfish Jet. 'Real friends' don't take control of everything. I wrote the songs on our album, and I had to fight just to sing back-up. Do you honestly think that's fair?"

"Enough!" Jet shouted, his voice cracking. He took a deep breath, but was unable to wipe the angered expression from his face. "The plan stays as it is. End of story."

"Fine," Haru whispered bitterly, unwilling to argue this any further. Without another word, he swung his jacket over his shoulder and pulled open the studio door. The room was left in fragile silence as the door latched closed. No one dared to speak a word as Jet ruffled his hair, his eyes glancing towards the floor in uncertainty. Slowly, Zuko stood up and took a step towards his friend.

"You know, maybe you should-"

"I know, Zuko," Jet snapped, stiffening defensively. Giving up, Zuko dropped the arm that he had extended towards Jet, shaking his head. Zuko knew himself to be hotheaded, but wondered if he went on to this extent. He might have said something more to Jet had his uncle, the band's personal manager, not hurried in.

"I am sorry to announce the the benefit show has been moved up two hours," Iroh said as he slipped his phone into his pocket, having just finished a call. "You'll all have to ready yourselves quickly. On the bright side, I have brought each of you a soothing cup of tea - good for the vocal chords, and for the soul."

Zuko bowed respectfully, accepting the tea. "Thank you, Uncle. We'll be ready in time."

Exhausted by their arguing, the band slowly shuffled out of the studio, leaving Toph alone with the old man. Every once in a while the two would share a conversation. Toph found that she enjoyed spending time with Iroh; he was interesting, wise and surprisingly funny. In times of trouble, Toph often turned to him for advice; it seemed to her that he really knew what he was talking about.

"Is something bothering you, Toph?" Iroh asked, stroking his chin as he looked her over. She wore a troubled expression indeed, as she sat back from the others.

Toph huffed, blowing her long green bangs from her face to relieve the itching that they'd been causing. "Just those clowns. I swear, we're running this damn band like a circus act."

At first Iroh remained silent, frustrating the blind girl. Ready to join the others in their trudge to the hotel, she stood from her perching position on the drum stool. It seemed that even the great and profound Iroh couldn't solve this one for her. In reality, she knew that it wasn't his problem to solve; it just seemed that he was the only one capable of doing such a thing. The rest of them had tried several times to settle the disputes that erupted between Jet and Haru, but their efforts always proved to be futile. The resting time between fights was almost always short-lived. These times, however, were the best of times (and certainly _not_ the worst of times). Everything was good when Jet and Haru got along; when they weren't at each other's throats, the two were a riot. Toph had always believed that they were the foundation of the band-the thing holding them together, but also the thing that could easily be their downfall. It all seemed a little unfair, but there was no time to be wasted in wallowing, especially now. Sighing a little too loudly, Toph reached for the door, ready to walk out.

"A house is built to withstand the forces of wind and rain," Iroh said suddenly, talking to the back of her head. He knew that she would stop to listen. "But even the biggest building, after too many storms and earthquakes, will crumble. A great man once said: a house divided will not stand."

She didn't acknowledge his words; nothing could be said in response to that. It was true - if they continued down the road that they had been traveling, the house they'd worked so hard to build would crumble to the ground, diminishing itself into rubble. The most troubling thought - the one that Toph preferred to avoid most of the time - was that this "house" of theirs had begun to lack the feeling of being a _home_.

* * *

As usual, the band found itself running late, rushing about to get ready twenty minutes before their show started. From the tiny dressing room, the waiting crowd was audibly pumped for the show, their cries resonating through the crack beneath the thin door that blocked them out. For the small audience that they were supposed to be, the students awaiting the show were incredibly loud. Already in town for the next big concert in their tour, Bad Rep had agreed to doing a benefit show at a local boarding school. It was a large campus, but there couldn't be more than three hundred in the audience; the area just wasn't big enough. Perhaps with the tickets being as cheap as they were (only thirty dollars each) and with eighty percent of the profits going to charity, the students and faculty were willing to pack like sardines to fit in as many as possible. Toph considered this theory, although she was having a hard time seeing anything outside the thin, concrete, layered floor. She figured it must have been true when the door opened and slammed shut, followed by the sound of heavy breathing. Haru, she decided, recognizing his strong walk and remembering that he hadn't arrived with the rest of them.

"Nice of you to finally show up," Jet sneered, smoke puffing past the cigarette in his mouth towards Haru. The earthbender waved his hand in front of his face, keeping a stone expression as he turned away from the band's front-runner. No other exchanges were shared between the two and the chaos of show-prep continued. Toph yanked a headband across her thick hair, separating her bangs. She contemplated asking Mai to help pull it up so it looked half-decent, but the opportunity was lost when the door opened once again and a stage manager announced that they had five minutes, which usually meant that they needed to be at the stage. With no time left for being fancy, Toph seized the chopsticks she'd been using for eating and used them to secure her hair into a less-than-neat bun.

"What are we donating to again?" Jet asked as he discarded his cigarette into an ashtray.

"The less-fortunate waterbenders in the swamps," Haru replied irritably. "Not that you'd care."

Jet gave him no regards, deciding that it wasn't worth getting upset over. The band quickly made their way out the door, and as she neared the stage, feeling the crowds of people, she was overcome with the exciting sensation that she often got before shows. She could feel the audience's heartbeats, and it made her adrenaline go mad.

"Phew, okay," Jet turned to Zuko, bouncing from one foot to the other and rubbing his hands together. "Remind me where we are again."

"We're performing for the South Bend Freedom Fighters," Zuko replied slowly, unphased by his friend's pre-show ritual. Upon Zuko's reply, Jet paused and cocked his head to the side, smiling fondly.

"Freedom Fighters, huh? That's a cool mascot," he pondered, and then made a focused expression. "Okay, South Bend Freedom Fighters for the less fortunate waterbenders."

It had become clear to Zuko many years prior that although Jet had selfish tendencies, his carelessness for remembering others was anything but; Jet had a difficult time remembering things and focusing when it was necessary. Zuko often wondered if it was something worth looking into, but had decided not to push the issue - or even bring it up. He knew not to speak of it, but found himself irritated when the others got angry at Jet for being what they thought of as selfish. Right now, though, Jet was in a good mood, so Zuko packed away his troubles and readied himself for the show.

"And, go," the stage manager instructed, cuing for the stage lights to be dimmed. Even in the darkness, the fans saw them coming and screamed loudly. In the short moments of silence before they began playing, Toph felt sure that her anticipation matches the levels of those in the audience. It was customary to wait not only so that everyone could get situated, but also so that more suspense could be built. Once all the members of the band were still and ready, they could begin. As usual, the first notes of the deep base caught her off guard, but the audience went wild. At the head of the stage, Jet's heartbeat accelerated; this was his favorite part.

He held still as the fog began rolling across the small stage, keeping his head turned towards the grown and his eyes leveled there. At a rate that was all-too-slow for Jet, the stage-lights rose, and in time with the lights the bass became louder. Taking his cue, Jet leaned into the mic-stand, grasping its handle.

"Hello, South Bend!" he screamed, his voice raspy. The crowd roared in response, prompting a smile on the singer's face.

From here, it was Toph's turn to take over. With one swift beat she led in the exhilarating guitar that blared harshly above the bass, drowning it out. With every blow to the drums, Toph's adrenaline pumped harder. There was nothing more thrilling than the feeling of music pounding against her skin - the guitar, the bass; she could feel it all, but the drums more than anything. It was for this reason that she'd originally chosen it as her hobby; she knew herself to be a decent singer (she often did backup in their recording sessions), but nothing compared to her love for percussion. She had taken to it quite well - better than even she'd thought she would. In fact, everyone was well-suited to their roles. It was extraordinary to Toph the way that they'd all picked up on such skills, and more so that they were all so passionate about them. Still trying to focus on her drumming, Toph tuned her ears into the sound of Jet singing, his powerful voice piercing the air in a way that was painful and beautiful at the same time. He had such talent, and when he was singing, Toph knew that his soul was suddenly pure and innocent; none of his flaws existed when he was singing.

Then there was Haru, who could do practically anything. Not only could he play the guitar, his assigned role, but he could also play drums, bass and piano. In addition, he also had - as the fan-girls liked to say - the voice of an angel. At one concert the prior year, Jet had graciously allowed Haru to perform perform an acoustic song on his own (the very song, in fact, that had caused such a commotion today), and had gotten quite a deal of attention from it. After that, Jet - jealous and defensive of his title - became very guarded about his position, causing more tension. It was often speculated by the media that Haru could run the entire band on his own if he so wished. This only made Jet more angry. Haru's passion for music ran deep - perhaps, Toph sometimes thought, too deep for a band like Bad Rep.

Zuko also loved his job, but displayed more focus than passion on stage. He had only ever messed up one time in front of an audience, but no one dared to talk to him after that. His temper walked a fragile line and it was thought best by all that they not test it. Toph, however, liked to test it anyway, having adopted a relationship with Zuko that she might have compared to that of siblings. She found fun in messing with him. When it came to his girlfriend, however, Toph didn't find much fun in anything - and neither did Mai. Over the time that they'd spent together, Toph had grown to respect Mai, and even considered them to be friends. Their fun wasn't the same as that of Toph and Zuko, but it was fun (a strange sort of fun) nonetheless. Mai seemed to like music well enough; her demeanor was at least _slightly _less dreary while performing.

Overall, it seemed that they had a group that couldn't be beat; they had a Grammy award for _Best New Band_ to prove it - not to mention the thousands of die-hard fans. Of course, Toph tried to keep all of this from going to her head (not that it always worked). More important than their success, though, as Iroh often emphasized, was their love for the business and their dedication to each other.

"Thank you so much, South Bend!" Jet called out, concluding the show. He raised his mic into the air, signaling for the audience to make noise. They followed his lead, crying out and roaring back at him. "And on behalf of the less fortunate firebenders in the slums, I thank you! Your kind donations are going to a good cause. Goodnight everybody!"

The usual chaos that occurred after a show began then, as everyone shuffled about to clear the stage.

"The show was for the _waterbenders_ in the _swamps_, Jet," Zuko grumbled as they edged towards the stage's stairs, shaking his head in disappointment.

"Dammit!" Jet hissed and smacked his forehead. "How could I mess that up? I just wasn't thinking, I guess."

It definitely did seem like an impossible thing to mess up; they'd thoroughly talked over this show. How could Jet be so careless? More than it was an odd thing to forget, Toph thought, it was the worst possible thing to forget; they'd get hell for this from the media. That was the greatest con to show business, and the one the Toph most hated to deal with. Lost in thought, she stumbled into a passing body.

"Ouch! Watch it!" she exclaimed as a drop of hot liquid splashed onto her foot. Before she could walk away, she body had latched its hand around her forearm.

"Oh my goodness! I am so sorry," the body (apparently male) screeched apologetically. "I didn't see you there."

"Hmph, that's funny; I didn't see you either, but you don't see me running into people," Toph remarked, crossing her arms.

"Actually, I think that you were the one who ran into me," he replied, a little defensively, mirroring Toph's stance.

Toph raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

Suddenly he came to his senses, faltering and fidgeting. "Oh, wait, no. You know, I'm sorry. I'm a huge fan."

"Well thanks," Toph said plainly; she'd never been good with fans. "I appreciate it."

"Yeah, no problem - oh, and sorry for spilling my coffee on you. You think I'd be able to go for more than an hour without it," he laughed to himself. "My bad, really."

She ignored his apology, but inhaled deeply through her nose. "What is that? Nutmeg?"

"Yeah, how'd you guess?"

"I've got an excellent sense of smell," she stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Hmm," the fan hummed. "That's pretty cool. I've got an excellent sense of...taste."

"Interesting," Toph sighed, anxious to get backstage again.

"Anyway," he waved his hand,"great show tonight. You guys are amazing. I actually play a little guitar myself, but I'm kinda between bands right now."

"Not me," she smiled proudly, in regards to both his guitarist abilities and lack of a band. "Look, I'd love to stand here and chat, but I've gotta get backstage. Nice meeting you and stuff."

She took off before he could reply, not turning around when he called out a goodbye after her.

"I JUST TALKED TO TOPH BEI FONG! Yes!"

"Fans," she scoffed as she squeezed through peoples' shoulders, making her way to her friends. Upon slipping backstage, she became aware of the rapid heartbeats of her friends in the dressing room. "Oh, great."

As she'd suspected, she walked in to find another fight erupting between Jet and Haru.

"We're here to represent a _cause_, Jet," Haru growled. "When are you going to see that it's not all about you?"

Jet rolled his eyes. "It was a mistake! You're just being bitter because you didn't get to sing your song tonight."

"Hey," Toph snapped, crossing between them to lounge on the couch across the room. "Would you _ladies _please stop being so freaking catty?"

"Ladies?" Jet repeated, offended. "The only one you ought to be calling a lady is Haru; just look at that hair."

"We're not talking about my hair!" Haru lamented, grabbing Jet by the collar of his shirt. "We're talking about you being a selfish jackass at a benefit concert."

In a rather clumsy motion, Zuko hopped up from his seat next to Mai and separated the two with his hands. "Stop it! You're both being ridiculous!"

Haru shook his head. "No, _he's _being ridiculous."

"You're _both_ being ridiculous!" Zuko insisted. "You're friends, teammates. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

Haru closed his eyes, his body overcome by anger. He jerked his body away from Zuko and turned away, silent. His response provoked concern from his friends, none who had expected such a reaction. Even Jet felt a bit nervous as he waited for any word from Haru, but for a long few minutes none came. To Haru, it was more than a matter of what had happened tonight, or today even. It was about the past few months and the fading friendship that he saw between himself and Jet. The two had never made compatible friends, but they'd always made it work. In the limelight of fame, however, Jet's flaws had been extenuated and even swollen in Haru's eyes. The longer that he endured Jet's presence, the less of a friend Jet seemed to be. So often he spent his days angry and disgusted, feeling as if he didn't want to be represented in the way that Jet represented himself and the rest of the band.

"No," Haru finally said, his shaking hands forming a fist. "Not enough at least. I'm done with you, Jet. You guys are going to have to choose. I'm sorry."

"Choose?" Toph repeated, wide-eyed. To her dismay, Haru replied with a quiet _mhm_, and said nothing more. How was she to choose between her friends? It was much more than that; there were fifty shades of gray. Choosing Jet meant betraying Haru, but choosing Haru meant betraying Jet, her band, and most of all, her fans. She didn't want to see anyone go; it would change everything.

"Choose..." Zuko mumbled, his eyes to the ground. He glanced at Haru, and then closed his eyes in shame as he turned to Jet and put his hand on his shoulder. He'd made his choice. He could never turn his back on his best friend. Toph shouldn't have felt so shocked, she knew, but maybe she just couldn't believe this was happening at all. It was clear, though, what she had to do. Unwilling to argue with Zuko's decision, she bowed her head, her hair shading her face from Haru's view. Haru didn't even look to Mai; he knew she wouldn't speak up for him.

"I see," he replied somberly, reaching for his gig bag. "Goodbye, then. It's been nice."

When he shut the door behind him, the room was filled with a dark silence. For the longest time, no one said a word. Had this really happened? Had their years together really just been shattered like cheap glass? Already, the room felt incomplete without Haru's presence. Jet lit a cigarette, shoving it between his lips and inhaling deeply.

"He's just mad," Zuko said, assuring both Jet and himself. "He'll be back."

Jet found no comfort in this, though. His brows furrowed with an odd mutation of anger and sadness, and he banged his fist on the table, startling his friends. He ran to the door, swinging it open violently.

"Fine!" he shouted, his voice filled with pain. "Why don't you go make some hippie music with that hippie hair of yours? See if I care!"

Haru hadn't heard him, though, and somewhere in his mind Jet knew this. Haru was long gone, and he wouldn't be coming back.

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**And that's chapter one! Some pretty intense stuff going on here, but it should settle down at least a little bit. Chapter two is where it's at, people! Be sure to check it out! As I always say (anyone who's read my work before will know this), I appreciate compliments and criticism alike, so please let me know what you think so that I can improve (: I apologize for any grammatical mistakes in this! I found a few and fixed them, but just in case, my apologies.**

**Review, subscribe, or pm if you liked it! More will come as soon as I'm able to get it up. My updates are rather slow lately due to an overwhelming amount of work, but I write on a regular basis, even if in small increments.**

**I apologize for my ranting XD It's just that "new fic" business that I have to get straight.**

**xoxo ZuEra **


	2. Chapter 2 - Should've Been

**Yes, I'm aware that it's been quite a while, and I'm terribly sorry for that. Time just got away from me. Love me or hate me, here's the next chapter (: Enjoy**

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Chapter 2

_"And now some news for our younger generation: it has been rumored that after the benefit concert last night hosted by the infamous band _Bad Rep_, the band's guitarist, Haru was seen storming out of the area after several minutes of shouting took place. This shouting was also rumored to have been between Haru and his ex-band-mates. Rumors immediately began to fly and panic ensued among the band's enormous fanbase. Eighteen hours later, it was confirmed on both the band's official and personal pages that yes, the band has lost a member. What do you think about this, Bryan? I'm actually kind of shocked. My daughter is very into Bad Rep and this morning all she would talk about is how much of a shock this is."_

_"Now I don't know about this band, Bridget. It seems to me that Jet Chang, the band's front-runner, is just a total jerk. If you look back at clips of the show last night, you'll see that he didn't even know what they were fundraising for - they have it on tape! If you want to see that tape you can check it out on our website and judge for yourself. I don't know, Bridge, I don't think I'd want to put up with that either. I don't blame the kid for quitting. As far as what the band's going to do now, I think they're in pretty deep. Records of the band's website show that they were planning to do a local concert and then begin their big tour. It looks like for the time being, they might just have to put their tour on the back-burner until they can find a replacement guitar player."_

Jet turned off the TV, groaning irritably. "I knew they were gonna be all over this."

"Well what'd you expect?" Toph scoffed, swiping a piece of bacon from the singer's plate and biting into it. "You screwed up and Haru walked out on us. Both of those things are pretty much a cry for media attention."

Jet slammed his fist against the table's surface. "You know what, Toph-"

"Could you guys shut up for just two minutes?" Mai interrupted from her spot on the couch, earning a glare from her friends. She held up the book in her hands. "I'm trying to read the climax. It's exciting."

Jet sighed. "Fine. Where's Zuko?"

"He met up with his uncle for breakfast," Mai answered. "He'll be back soon."

Jet frowned. "I need him here now, though."

"Look, it doesn't take Zuko to put you in a good mood. We can cheer you up, too," Toph folded her arms, insulted.

Jet looked from her to Mai, smirking. "Yeah - right, Toph. Thanks, but no thanks."

"Come on, Jet. That Haru was a good-for-nothing, a complete sap," Toph said surely, although she felt an aching pain in her chest as she betrayed her friend with her words. "He was - he was always trying to take control."

"Not to mention he was boring," Mai added, not looking up from the pages of her book.

"Yeah," Jet agreed, chuckling. "Yeah, you guys are right. And really, he doesn't belong with us. He didn't have much of a 'bad rep' anyway. Goodie, goodie."

"Right," Toph sighed, folding her arms. To her great relief, the door of the hotel room clicked open and Zuko strolled in, juggling two cups of coffee and a bag of Fire Flakes. She took the moment to escape, grumbling to Zuko as she passed him. "It's about time you got back. I'm gonna go jump off a cliff now."

Zuko could only look at her in confusion as he handed Mai her coffee; he knew better than to raise his voice at all. Jet, however, hadn't the slightest clue that anything was wrong. Feeling suddenly indebted to the young blind girl, he called after her. "Hey, where are you going, Toph?"

"Just to-" Toph paused to think, smelling the coffee in the air. "-just to get a cup of coffee. Now if you ladies will excuse me-"

"Well hold up, Toph," Jet stopped her. "Why don't you let me come along and buy it for you?"

Toph's face fell flat. "No."

"I owe you one, Toph," Jet insisted. "Would you let go of your pride and accept my offer?"

Pursing her lips, Toph could feel that she had no real choice in this. At any rate, Jet was her friend. It shouldn't have been so bad to spend some time with him. The problem lied more in the situation. All Jet was going to want to talk about was Haru and how much he hated him. Toph, having a soft spot for all of her band-mates would have to go along with it. Not only did this make her feel guilty, it made her feel powerless. She was not fond of these feelings. Still, she faltered.

"Fine, fine. Let's get out of here, Pretty Boy. Make it worth my while."

Toph took the lead, heading down the narrow hallway towards the elevator. Trapped with Jet inside of the tiny cube made for an awkward minute. Jet twirled his keys around his index finger, his need for another cigarette becoming more clear in the silence. He cleared his throat once, hoping to spark some conversation between himself in the blind girl, but Toph made no effort. It suddenly became painfully obvious how long it had been since the pair had spent time together without the requirement of a manager. They had once been good friends - never as close as he and Zuko were now, but good and honest friends. He'd known Toph for several years before meeting any of his other band-mates. Their friendship had taken off after they bumped into each other at a friend's open house; he had spilled his drink all over her, and once he'd convinced her to not kill him, they'd had a decent conversation. One conversation had led to another, and soon a friendship had blossomed. That friendship was now barely holding onto the threads of existence; it made his stomach churn in sadness to realize that. The truth was, Toph also longed to have those good times back. Things were so different now, though - _they _were different: Jet had become selfish and egotistical and Toph had become cold and blunt. They both knew it, but neither was willing to change or sacrifice.

And so their friendship drifted.

Still, there was a small spark of hope in each of their hearts that they might reconnect here. How hard could it really be? Perhaps it would only take another simple conversation.

"What are we going to do?" Jet asked, saying the only thing that came to mind. Toph didn't turn towards him to respond; she never did. She only put her hands on her hips and tossed her head back.

"We're going to get coffee, dumbass."

"That's not what I was talking about, 'dumbass'," he replied crossly, his hopes of a rekindled friendship damaged. "I meant about our band. We're supposed to go on tour, we lost our guitar player - you heard the news report. What's our solution? What's the plan?"

"You think I know?" Toph snapped, her frustration flaring. "You're the one who had issues with Haru; you're the one who fought with him until he quit. What are we going to do? Find a new guitar player - hold auditions, issue a public statement asking for people, call some people up - I don't know!"

Jet winced. Regularly, he would have let the debate go on without missing a beat; however, he was caught by her mentioning of the fact that Haru had quit because of that very thing. He needed to work on his temper; Toph had better control over her temper than he did, _Zuko_ had better control over his temper than he did - and if Zuko was more controlled, then this was really a problem. It wasn't just his temper, though - it wasn't even mostly his temper; it was his pride. He had lost himself and everyone else a band-mate, and now Toph was angry.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, finding it difficult to apologize.

The elevator door opened with a ding and Jet stepped out quickly. Toph lingered behind for a few seconds, thinking over the situation. She knew how Jet was; he didn't like to apologize for things and rarely did. The kind thing to do would be to accept his apology and talk it out. While Jet didn't like to apologize, however, Toph didn't care to have gushy, emotional conversations, so she decided that - selfish as it was - she would avoid the route of telling him that she forgave him. Still, it wouldn't kill her to be nice to him again so that he knew her intentions were good. She caught up to him outside of the hotel, just in time to hear the click of his lighter as he lit a new cigarette (it seemed as if he always had one tucked between his teeth - almost like they were a security blanket to him).

"You know those aren't good for you," she said, punching his arm. Jet had been told this so many times; it drove him crazy, but that's why Toph had said it just now.

Jet looked down at her, feeling relieved. He pulled out the package of cigarettes and held it out towards her, grinning. "You want one?"

Recognizing his sarcasm, Toph pushed his hand away. "Do I ever?"

He shrugged. "More for me."

"So where's this coffee place at?" she asked, not feeling anything that felt specifically like a coffee shop.

"There's a neat little shop just around the corner," he answered. "I went there yesterday morning; their stuff is to die for."

"It better be, or I'll have to go all 'Boulder' on you," she said in an overly serious tone, causing Jet to snicker.

"Oh no; I'm so scared," he mocked her.

The Boulder was a fictional character that Toph and Jet had made up several years ago in the early times of their friendship. They'd been at a park - struck by boredom - trying to think of the scariest people in existence. Toph had at first answered that she was obviously the most terrifying person on earth, but Jet said that she wasn't so scary once you got to know her. Unable to think of anybody scary enough, the pair had begun thinking of their own scary character. What they had come up with was much less intimidating. The Boulder was his name, and he was a muscular pro-wrestler who could also earthbend. The Boulder's interests consisted of wrestling and earthbending (of course), gymnastics, ninjas, classical dancing (it had been determined that his mother made him take classes and he had become fond of it), playing the mandolin, building Lego towers and talking in third person. Needless to say, both children had spent the remainder of the day talking in third person and pretending to be The Boulder. The following week, Jet had awoken to find a large boulder in the middle of his driveway, courtesy of Toph. Jet's foster parents hadn't been crazy about it, but Jet had found it hilarious.

"I would kick your ass right now," Toph continued in a deep voice, "but The Boulder doesn't like to fight little girls."

"Ha! What are you saying?" he laughed, unable to feign anger.

Toph laughed freely; it felt good to laugh. Even better was the fact that they were laughing together - like old times. Maybe this friendship was salvageable after all.

"Well, here we are," Jet announced, settling his breathing as he came to a stop. "Little Biggie's Coffee Shop."

"I'm guessing the floors in there are plastic?" Toph predicted, and Jet nodded. "Right. Do you wanna just get it for me? I've had enough blind walking at the hotel and the studio."

"No problem. What do you want?"

Toph opened her mouth to answer but lost her chance. Jet's phone buzzed loudly in his pockets, and he held up his hand to Toph, signaling her to wait. He dug around in his pockets and finally found the phone. He didn't recognize the number, but instinct told him to pick up anyway. Toph, having a bad feeling about the call, settled in a comfortable position, preparing for a long wait as she listened to the conversation from her end.

"Hello? Haru's lawyer, huh? Is this a scam?" Jet was quiet for a moment. Apparently the person on the other end was talking. "Alright, you've got my attention. He wants what? No, he really _can't _do that. Bad Rep has legal rights to that. Excuse me one second - Toph?"

Toph folded her arms, raising her head to show him that she was listening.

"I have to take this. Wait here, okay?" he didn't wait for her to object before walking away.

She didn't bother to stop him, too disgusted wish him back to her. She did, however, find it necessary to raise a small portion of the sidewalk, tripping him and making him stumble along. Frustrated, she leaned against the wall of the coffee shop and sighed; just when she thought a friendship was about to re-blossom between them. She wanted to let it go and to not be bothered by it, but she had to admit that she felt angry and slightly hurt. Not only that, but now she would have to get the coffee herself, which was an entirely new batch of trouble. Fortunately for her, before she even reached for the door, a familiar pair of feet came waltzing out. Clumsy and cool - and unlike any other walk she'd felt before - she quickly identified her company and grabbed his arm before he could walk away.

"Hey, Coffee Guy," she beckoned, yanking him back towards her. After omitting a yelp, he steadied himself and looked at her wide-eyed.

"Toph Bei Fong - you remember me from last night?"

"How could I forget the douchebag who nearly burned my feet with coffee? I'd know your steps anywhere," she said, trying to take a whiff of his coffee in the most subtle way possible. "Nutmeg again?"

Ignoring her question, the fan cocked his head to the side. "You'd know my steps?"

"I can feel them," Toph explained, shrugging casually. "I see with my earthbending, right? So I can identify people by the steps that they take. That's not why I stopped you, though. You see, I was - well - go and get me some coffee will you? The floors in there are plastic and I can't see through plastic. French Vanilla."

She shoved some money - an amount unknown to the blind girl - in his direction and waited impatiently for him to take it. He finally did, but didn't move for the shop. He just stood there.

"Well, go on," she punched his shoulder, seeming tot have brought him back to life. He flinched on her impact.

"Right, um, I'll be right back then."

Unlike Jet, this dedicated fan did fulfill his duties, bringing Toph her drink and even handing back the extra cash from the purchase.

"Thank you, uh - I don't think you told me your name."

"Sokka," he said, nodding his head just slightly. "My name is Sokka."

"Well then, thank you, Sokka. I appreciate it. If you don't mind, though, I'll be on my way."

This time it was he who grabbed her wrist, pulling her back towards him. "Wait, hang on. Do you mind if I ask how you're holding up? I heard about Haru."

Toph sighed. "I'm fine. We're all fine. It's not a big deal."

"Are you sure?"

Irritated, but also entranced by Sokka's open personality, Toph replied "Of course I am. It's not something any of us want to talk about, though, so I'll just leave and waste away on my own, thank you."

"Come crash at my dorm." Toph's jaw dropped at the fan's words, and little did she know, but he was just as shocked at himself as she was. He watched as her fingers drummed uncomfortably against her Styrofoam cup and decided that it was too late now and that he ought to at least sound sure of himself. "Just for a while to hang out. Maybe then you can take your mind off of the band business for a little bit."

Toph thought about this briefly, considering her options. She could go back to the hotel and remain irritable, she could go after Jet and give him a piece of her mind, or, lastly, she could go off with this guy. It was easy to pick the option

"I'm sorry," Sokka laughed, ruffling his hair. "I probably seem like a total creep. I promise I'm not going to try and rape you or kidnap you or anything like that."

"As if you could," Toph scoffed, not the least bit concerned. In the silence she could still hear the faint sound of Jet yelling into his cellphone. "You know what? I've got nothing better to do. Let's go, fanboy."

* * *

**Aha, how scandalous, right? Yeahh well, not really. I promise wholeheartedly that I will try my very best to get the next chapter up soon. I can't make any guarantees, but with summer coming up it will definitely be more likely.**

**A big thank you to all of the followers/favorites/reviews; after just one chapter I didn't expect the amount that I got C: I appreciate it.**

**As for the next chapter, we'll be getting more in depth in Sokka, and the plot shall thicken! Dun, dun, dun!**

**Review/PM/Subscribe for more (: **

**xoxo ZuEra**


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